In what ways does your media product, use, develop, challenge forms of real conventions of real media product.

Question 1

Before starting the construction of my media product I decided to do research into what conventions are used in typical music videos, I used various sources of information in order to gain more knowledge on how to create and present a media product.

The conventions of a typical indie music video I have found out usually contain images of nature, close ups, humour, dim lighting, performance and instruments. Research into the conventions deepened my knowledge of what conventions I would need to use in order to conform or go against a real media product.

One of the many conventions I have used throughout my music video is lip synching. The majority of all music video I have researched contained lip synching whether it may be for a few seconds or used in the whole video. I decided use lip synching in my video as I feel that it helps express the artist’s emotions and her heartbreak, it also strengthens the narrative of the video and makes the audience feel a part of the storyline. Lip synching is an aspect which needs to be matched perfectly throughout the video in order to look professional and we have created an almost perfect example of lip synching through the aid of media technology.

Music Video:

Music Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6pVkMG32bE

However if I did not include this convention in my media product then it would have been mistaken for a short film and this is the sort of I idea I did not want to create for my audience. In the pre-production we decided to include only a few shots where she would lip synching put through further research we have found out that constant use of lip synching helps engage the audience, without making the video look boring and uninteresting.

Another convention I have used is Mise-en scene. Commonly all music video use Mise-en scene as it helps set the tone, emotion and the meaning of each shot. A certain atmosphere is created in music videos to help the audience to identify with what is going on within a scene; it can either be for instance specific characters, props, lighting, costume, makeup or the actual setting.

In my media product the artist is seen wearing casual clothes throughout the video. I learned that in many indie videos artist don’t wear glamorous or revealing clothes for example in Ingrid Michelson’s “Be Ok” video we see her wearing a simple shirt and jeans and playing the guitar in her room. For our video this is the idea wanted to create; scenes were the focus was on the artist’s emotions and performance and not on her clothes. However we did conformed to the typical convention by making our artist wear indie/vintage colours such as mustard yellow.

Another Mise-en-scene convention we applied to our media product was the use of natural setting a convention which can be seen in many indie videos such as Florence and the machine “rabbit heart” where the artist is seen dancing around in a forest/park. In our music video we used natural settings to conform to the convention but also make it easier for our target audience to identify what genre our video is. We used indie colours in our video for example by having the artist wearing the same colour top as the yellow flowers. We did this to show the artist as a down to earth and innocent character and by using nature it was easier for us to portray this.

Another Mise-en scene we used is props, one of the main props we used in our video was a guitar as from previous research we have seen many indie artist use instruments such as guitars in their performance. In our media product we see the artist playing the guitar by herself; we did this a way to let the artist express her emotion and heartbreak through her love of music.

Another Mise-en scene convention we used was makeup, in our music video we tried to go for a natural look a way of portraying the artist’s natural and down to earth character. In one part of our video we see the artist wearing red lipstick to connote that she still loves him and that she hopes he comes back to her.

Another convention that we have included in our media product is the use of close-ups, this is a convention used in indie music videos such as Florence and the machine “Cosmic Love”, which have various shots of the artist face expressing her emotions through her facial expressions. I learned that these shots are used to help the audience identify what the artist if is feeling in the video. In my media product I have used numerous close-ups to show the artist’s emotion and the confusion she is feeling on whether he will come back in to that relationship. I have used other shots like mid-shots and low angle shots each time

One convention we haven’t used is humour, we decided not to include this as our song was heartbreak and including humour would disrupt the loneliness and isolation the artist feels throughout the song.

When creating a digipak I had to keep in mind the typical codes and conventions of a typical digipak and by doing research I have found out that all digipak contain some key information. For instance name of album, artists name, track list, record label, release date and a visual imagery e.g. of artist or band members. What I have learnt is that digipaks are made to reinforce the artist’s image to its specific target audience.

There are various conventions I have used in my digipak in order for it to appeal to my target audience. One of the conventions is wording, I have included a title both of the artists name and the albums name, and this will give the target audience basic information about the artist and what the album is called. I have also a track list of the songs included in the album, without it the audience will not be able to access the songs made by the artist.

Another convention I have used is visual image; from previous research I have found out that majority of digipaks have an image either in an animation, photographed or hand-drawn. The visual images will portray the artist and the genre of the music the artist is conveying. Many people usually pick up an album because it looks attractive or they recognise the artist, so I tried to create a digipak that is appealing to my target audience but also at the same time providing information about the artist for people who don’t know her.

Digipak:

Another convention I have used is including CD, which typically all albums contain as it is a technology which allows you to play the music recorded by the artist. For my digipak I decided to make the CD more bright and colourful my applying flowers used from the background of the main album picture. I have created this so that CD looks more unique and interesting, but also making it stands out from other digipaks. I have taken inspiration from Rihanna’s “Loud” digipak which also contain an image of roses on the CD cover.

Another important convention I have used is the record label’s logo, this is to provide information the target audience about what record label the artist is connected with. It is also an additional information but an important one so I decided to apply this convention at the back of the digipak near the track list, so it easier for the audience to clearly recognise.

When creating a magazine advert I wanted to produce an advert which followed all the convention, this so that it looks professional but still be successful in promoting the artists album, Which is why a magazine has to include all vital information, so that the audience can know more about an individual artist or band. For example things like album release date, official website, artist and albums name.

In my magazine advert some of the conventions I have included are: name of the artist and album. I have placed the albums name underneath the artists name as this is one of the main features of a magazine advert they will look at. The font I have used is not that fancy as I wanted to make the artist the main attraction not the font used. From previous research I have found out that not many adverts have fancy writing as the main focus is always on the artist. This is the idea that I wanted to use for my advert to make it look more appealing to my target audience and focus group.

Magazine Advert

Another convention typically found in magazine adverts are visual, the same as digipaks. The way the artist is positioned, they props they use, their make-up can also represent the artist in positive/negative, strong/weak way but mostly in a positive and strong way to promote the artist in a good light. In my magazine advert I have used an image of the artist holding a guitar and wearing subtle makeup, I did this to show the artist as a down to earth, innocent and pure character.

Another convention I have included are the logos of the artists record label, this is an added information but is vital for people who want to know more about the artist. I have also included the artist official website, where they can buy new albums, get information about tours/gigs and also learn more about how the artist became successful.

I have also added a new media technology in the magazine advert, this barcode allows people with a smartphone to get on the go information about the artist and where they purchase the album. As media is currently changing I decided to keep up and use new technologies around me and also promote the artist using new media.

One of the conventions I decided not include in the advert is the release date, If an individual is interested than they can visit the official website which will include all the information and also the person can find out about other albums available by the same artist.